Registering device



Aug. 16, 1938. M, M ENNE Y 2,127,295

REGISTERING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1937 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE anors'raamc DEVICE Application October 25, 1937, Serial No. 170,775

5 Claims.

My present invention relates in general to improvements in the construction and operation of registering devices for indicating or registering successive operations of a machine or the like,

5 and relates more specifically to an improved support or mounting for such devices.

Generally defined, an object of this invention is to provide an improved registering device or unit which is extremely durable and compact, and which may be readily installed for cooperation with the machine with which it is to be used.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved mode of mounting counter units or the like, so that a complete counter assemblage may be conveniently installed in a bored hole in the machine with which the unit cooperates, and will thereafter be effectively protected against damage. a

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved registering unit comprising a series of concentric counter wheels mounted on one shaft and a like series of motion transmitting pinions mounted upon another shaft, the two shafts being supported in a circular cage which 5 confines and protects the wheels and pinions,

while at the same time providing a durable support for the mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a simple and compact registering assemblage having neat appearance, and which may be manufactured and installed at moderate cost.

These and other objects and advantages of my present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of one embodiment of my present invention, and of the mode of constructing. installing and of utilizing registering devices built in accordance with the improvement, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is an outside view of one of the improved registering units completely assembled;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the supporting housing of the unit of Fig. 1, taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the registering assemblage with the closure cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the unit, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and I Fig. 5 is another transverse section through the assemblage, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

While the invention has been illustrated herein as being specifically embodied in a counter unit especially adapted to register the successive operations of various types of machines or mechanisms, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope, since some of the improved features may be susceptible of more general application.

Referring to the drawing. the improved registering device shown therein comprises in general a main housing or casing 8 having therein a circular hole provided with opposite end bores 9, It, the casing also being provided with a lateral sight opening ii and with a readily removable cap i2 normally directly enclosing the outer end bore It; a counter unit confined within the circular hole of the casing 8 and including a frame or cage i3 provided with circular end heads or portions It, IS snugly fitting the casing bores 9, l respectively, a series of counter wheels i6 rotatably supported upon a shaft l'l eccentrically mounted in the end heads l4, l and being visible through the opening H, and a like series of motion transmitting pinions 18 rotatable upon a second shaft It also eccentrically supported in the end heads H, l5; and gearing for driving the counter unit and also being housed within the main casing 8.

The main casing 8 may be a part of the frame of the machine with which the registering device is intended to cooperate, and is preferably formed of one piece of metal having the counter unit receiving hole formed directly therein either by coring during casting, or by drilling and boring. The sight opening it of the casing 8 may be provided with a protecting shield 20 and a transparent covering 2i as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, in order to exclude dust and dirt, and the end cover or cap I! may be detachably secured to the end of the casing B in any suitable manner so as to further exclude foreign substances while permitting convenient access to the counter assemblage.

The frame or cage i3 is also preferably formed from a single piece of metal, and the end heads It, ii are rigidly interconnected by means of spaced bars 22 formed integral with these heads, and between which the counter wheels l6 and pinions l8 are disposed. The end head or portion H of the cage i3 is of lesser diameter than the oppositr end head i5, and as previously stated, the portions M, ii are formed to snugly fit the casing bores 9, ill respectively. The cage end head i5 is provided with a peripheral notch 23 which is adapted to coact with a pin 24 secured to the main casing 8 as shown in Fig. 3, in order to prevent rotation the cage i3 relative to the casing 8 when assembled.

The shafts l1, it upon which the counter wheels I6 and the pinions II are rotatably mounted, are fixed against rotation relative to the cage II and are located on opposite sides of the axis of this cage between the bars 22, see Figs. 2 and 4. The outer end of the shart I! may be disposed sufficiently close to the closure cap l2 so as to prevent endwise displacement of the cage I3 relative to the casing 8, or the cage I! may be held in place by a removable dowel pin. The disposition of the shafts l1, I9 is obviously such that all portions of the periph cries of the wheels 16 and of the pinions I! are located within the external diameter of the end head l4, thereby permitting unobstructed insertion and removal of the counter cage and mechanism relative to the bores of the casing 8 when the cover or cap I! has been removed.

The number bearing counter wheels I6 which are rotatably supported upon the shaft H in alinement with the sight opening H, are of relatively well known and standard constructicn, and each of these wheels has an end gear 25 which cooperates with the adjacent pinion I8 on the shaft IS in such a manner that each of the successive higher numbered wheels l6 will make only one-tenth of a revolution for each complete revolution of the preceding wheel Hi. In the counter wheel assemblage specifically shown herein, there are several dead or blank wheels 26 interposed between the digit number bearing wheel of lowest order, and the driving mechanism, and motion is transmitted to the end wheel 26 through a sleeve 21 which surrounds the shaft l1 and isjournaled in the end head IL The driving mechanism which imparts motion to the counter unit, comprises a worm wheel 28 secured to the outer end of the sleeve 21 by means of a pin 29, and a worm 30 meshing with the worm wheel 28 and secured to the end of a driving shaft 3| journaled in a sleeve 32 which is detachably secured to the main casing 8. The sleeve 32 is of suilicient external diameter to permit removal of the worm 30 from within the casing 8 when the sleeve 32 is removed.

When the improved registering device has been properly assembled, the driving mechanism which is located within the casing here or recess remote from the open end thereof, is adapted to impart rotary motion to the counter wheels I6, 26, through the sleeve 21 and through the pinions 28, in a well-known manner. The shaft 3| may be connected with any desired type of machine or mechanism, and may be either continuously or intermittently rotated. The numerals of the counter wheels 16 'will be clearly visible through the transparent closure 2| of the opening II, and the cage i3 will be prevented from rotating by the pin 24 coacting with the notch 23 of the cage. The cover I! will normally be in position and will cooperate with the transparent closure H to prevent ingress of dust or dirt.

When it becomes desirable to dismantle the mechanism by removing the counter unit, it is only necessary to remove the cover l2 and to withdraw the cage l3 together with the counter mechanism, as a unit, from within the casing bore through the open end thereof. The worm wheel 28 will then disengage the worm 3D, and the latter may thereafter be removed from within the easing 8 together with its shaft 3| and bearing sleeve 32. Assembly of the mechanism is just as simple. The cage '3 with the counter mechanism assembled therein, may be readily inserted into the bore of the casing 8 through the open end oi the latter, after the cover l2 has been removed,

,should snugly fit the corresponding casing bores 9, l0, so as to insure proper coaction of the worm wheel 28 with the worm 3H, and after the cage II has been inserted, provision should be made for preventing endwise shifting thereof.

From the foregoing specific description it will be apparent that the present invention provides an extremely simple mounting for a relatively compact registering unit, and that the unit after insertion is well protected against possible damage. The unit may, however, be quickly assembled and inserted within or removed from the casing bore, and by providing an integral or one-piece casing 8, adequate protection of the relatively delicate mechanism is assured. The circular formation of the cage and the eccentric disposition ofythe counter wheels, pinions, and supporting shafts within the circular cage, facilitates construction and assembling of the device, and the improvement has proven highly success ful in actualcommercial use.

- It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of assembling, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled-in the art. i

I claim:

1. In combination, a unitary casing having a bore open at one end and having therein at the opposite end of said bore a driving gear rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the bore axis, said casing having a transverse sight opening on one side between said bore ends, a unitary cage insertable within said bore through said open end and having opposite end heads snugly fitting the opposite ends of said bore and integral bars connecting said end heads on opposite sides of the bore-axis and out of alinement with said sight opening, alined counter wheels journalled in said cage end heads between said bars for rotation about an axis parallel to the bore axis and disposed on the same side of bore axis as said sight opening, motion transfer gearing for said counter wheels journalled in said cage for rotation between said bars about an axis disposed parallel to said counter wheel axis and on the opposite side of said bore axis. and a driven gear carried by said cage and being cooperable with said driving gear to impart rotation to said counter wheels and said transfer gearing when said cage is inserted within said bore.

2. In combination a unitary casing having a bore open at one end and having therein at the opposite end of said bore a driving gear rotatable about an axis extending transversely of the bore axis, said casing having a transverse sight opening on one side between saidbore ends, a unitary cage insertable within said bore through said open end and having opposite end heads snugly fitting the opposite ends of said bore and integral bars connecting said end heads on opposite sides of the bore axis'and out of alinement with said sight opening, the cage end head nearest said open bore, end being of greater diameter than the opposite end head and said connecting bars being located entirely within the peripheral bounding surface of said opposite end head so as to clear said bore, alined counter wheels journalled in said cage end heads between said bars for rotation about an axis parallel to the bore axis and disposed on the same side of bore axis as said sight opening, motion transfer gearing for said counter wheels journalled in said cage for rotation between said bars about an axis disposed parallel to said counter wheel axis and on the opposite side of said bore axis, and a driven gear carried by said cage and being cooperable with said driving gear to impart rotation to said counter wheels and said transfer gearing when said cage is inserted within said bore.

3. In combination, a unitary casing having a bore open at one end and a worm gear insertable laterally within the opposite bore end, said casing having a transverse sight opening at one side between said bore ends and the inner end of said bore being of smaller diameter than the outer end, a unitary cage insertable within said bore only through said open end and having opposite end heads snugly fitting said bore ends and integral bars connecting said heads on opposite sides of bore axis remote from said sight opening, alined counter wheels rotatably suspended in said cage between said bars for rotation about an axis located between said bore axis and said sight opening, motion transfer gearing for said wheels journalled in said cage on the side of said bore axis remote from said sight opening, and a worm wheel carried by said cage and being cooperable with said worm gear when said cage is inserted within said bore.

4. In combination, a unitary casing having a bore open at one end and a driving gear insertable within the opposite bore end, said casing having a transverse sight opening between said bore ends, a unitary cage insertable within said bore only through said opening end and having spaced heads fitting the opposite ends of said bore and also having integral bars connecting said heads and disposable in said bore out of alinement with said sight opening, alined counter wheels mounted in said cage between said bars for rotation about an axis located between the bore axis and said sight opening, motion transfer gearing for said wheels disposed within said cage remote from said sight opening, and a driven gear carried by said cage and being cooperable with said driving gear when said cage is inserted within said bore.

5. In combination, a unitary casing having a bore open at one end, and a driving gear within the bore remote from said open end, said casing having a sight opening bBtWEE'l said gear and said open end, a cage insertabl', within said bore only through said open end and having spaced end heads fitting said bore and connected by integral bars disposablein said bore out of alinement with said sight opening, a series of counter wheels mounted in said cage between said bars for rotation about an axis located between the bore axis and said sight opening, motion transfer gearing for said wheels confined within said cage remote from said sight opening, and a driven gear carried by said cage and being cooperable with said driving gear when said cage is inserted within said bore.

MARK M. HENNESSY. 

